Friday Is Always Black — Yes, it's true: Gawker's sibling sites are laying off 19 people. This site is one of those that will be expanding. The internal memo is after the jump. Gabriel Snyder of W magazine will indeed be replacing me as managing editor and we are hiring two more reporters in short order.

Sony goes after Kindle with new, touchscreen eBook reader — In a press event in New York City, Sony introduced a new model in its Reader line that it hopes will catch the attention of a public and electronics press that might be forgiven for thinking that Amazon's Kindle is the only game in the eBook town.

Latest iPhone Software supports full-screen Web apps — One unpublicized feature introduced by Apple's latest iPhone software updates is the ability save Web apps to the home screen and have them launch in full-screen mode without the Safari wrapper, essentially mimicking the experience of a native app.

ASUS Launches Fashion-Friendly Eee PC Model, S101 — Taipei, Taiwan — ASUS launches the Eee PC S101, an exquisitely designed netbook for fashion forward individuals who view style as as much of a factor of success as substance. The Eee PC S101 builds upon the industry-pioneering form factor …

Bank robber hires decoys on Craigslist, fools cops — In an elaborate robbery scheme that's one part The Thomas Crowne Affair and one part Pineapple Express, a crook robbed an armored truck outside a Bank of America branch in Monroe, Wash., by hiring decoys through Craigslist to deter authorities.

My Name is KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID ROCK! — Ever since Internet music became the norm and wildly popular over the last decade, artists have flocked to get their music up on iTunes, Rhapsody, the legal Napster, and all of the latest social networking sites. After all, with physical CD sales on the decline, artists need the digital avenue.

MSN Cashback successfully attracting visitors — This week MSN announced the launch of SearchPerks!, a new promotion that rewards visitors that use Live Search with tickets redeemable for various prizes. The latest endeavor is separate from the Live Search Cashback rebate program launched a few months ago …

Zune services on Win Mobile = ‘Pink’ — CEO Steve Ballmer reiterated this week that Microsoft has decided against building its own Zune phone. (Chairman Bill Gates said the same thing back in January 2008, for those keeping score at home.) — Ballmer also noted this week that Microsoft …

What's Your Tweet Worth? Um, . . . Nothing. — A month ago, I wrote about a company called TwittAd that lets you auction off ads on your Twitter page. Now, the company is sponsoring WhatsYourTweetWorth?, a vanity site where you enter your Twitter name, and it tells you how much your Tweets …

PSD2 Compliance in Zoho Books — The Revised Payment Services Directive, also known as the PSD2, is a set of regulatory guidelines laid down by the European Union (EU) for finance, banking, and payment service companies.

Google Fi - a phone plan, by Google — We felt that most phone plans just weren't made with you in mind. So that's why we built Google Fi with features that real people actually want. Click to learn more.